Andrey Santos sets aside emotion while preparing himself to face youth idol Thiago Silva when Chelsea takes on Fluminense in the semi -final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
After having triumphed Palmeiras in the quarterfinals, their sights are put in the final, but they must first overcome the Brazilian team that eliminated Hilal from Saudi Arabia.
When the side of Enzo Maresca takes the field in Metlife Stadium to see the Warriors team, they will compete against a well-known opponent in Silva, who played for the double UEFA Champions League winners from 2020 to 2024.
Santos, who spent his first season in Chelsea under the guidance of the Brazilian legend, spoke with deep respect about the influence of the veteran, both on and next to the field, but insists that it will be a completely different game when they face each other.
“Thiago Silva was so important to me during my first season here,” Santos told the media.
“He is also so important for fans of Chelsea and Chelsea. But (in the semi -final) he is my rival, so we have to work hard against him.”
Fluminense will be a tough challenge for the Londoners, because the Brazilian Top-Flight team remains unbeaten in this year's tournament, which Inter Milan and Al Hilal has already switched off to the semi-final.
Tuesday's Crunch match will be the ninth time that English and Brazilian clubs are confronted in the FIFA Club World Cup, where the teams of both countries evenly distributed with four wins each of the previous eight meetings.
The blues played in half of those matches, with a balanced record of two wins and two losses. Their victories in particular came across Palmeiras, including their recent triumph over the Brazilian side in the quarterfinals of this year.
With this in mind, the 21-year-old emphasizes that he and his Chelsea teammates have to raise their level again tomorrow night to earn a place in the final of the tournament.
“It will be a big game against a large team tomorrow. We have to prepare well because the game is so important to us, a semi -final, so we have to work hard and make sure we are ready.
“Certainly, this tournament is so important to us. All tournaments we come to win, but we know that we also have to improve against Fluminense. We will take it step by step.”
This will be the third meeting of Chelsea with a Brazilian team in this year's FIFA Club World Cup, after a 3-1 group phase loss for Flamengo and a 2-1 last four win over Palmeiras.
It is remarkable that the blues are the only team in this year's tournament to face three opponents from the same country.
On the other hand, Fluminense managed only 42.7% against Al Hilal in the quarterfinals, so that the fourth time in five games during this year's competition it was marked that they have kept less than 50% possession.
So they are the only remaining team in the tournament that has a lower possession in most of their competitions.
The winner of this competition will be confronted with Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final planned for June 13.